Paper short abstract:

As mobility infrastructures face an uplift in Sarawak, much of the social and environmental impacts have been ignored. The paper proposes seeing water mobility as heritage and call for a more integrated approach for sustainable development.

Paper long abstract:

This paper discusses the dualities of modernising mobility infrastructures in Sarawak as part of the government’s initiative to provide more accessibility to rural communities and driver of economic growth. Sarawak’s rivers, which have been the main corridor for the indigenous communities for centuries, from the uplands to port cities are facing increasing threats from pollution and cargo ships, further disrupting their way of life. As the Pan-Borneo Highway network connects more villages to transport palm oil, timber and other raw materials across the state, its environmental and social impacts have not been carefully considered in the name of economic development. I argue how water mobility of the past can be seen as heritage, a lifeline linking several villages and the port cities that included different ethnic groups, supporting trade networks that extend beyond the island of Borneo to China, Philippines and Peninsular Malaysia before the colonial period. The paper is based upon empirical research through fieldwork and interviews with indigenous rural communities by the river and residents in port cities. By drawing upon state planning policies and political speeches, the paper critically engages with the Sarawak state’s discourse on modernity and narratives on development that led to the building of compromising mobility infrastructures. It also examines the plans for renewed road networks, dredging and construction works in the rivers that affect the communities most vulnerable to flooding disasters. Finally, this research calls for a more integrated approach, combining traditional norms of mobility with modern infrastructure for a sustainable practice.